Jenmomof3 Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 We're finally at a stage where I think the kids can stay at home by themselves for a short time. I'd like to start running quick errands while I leave the kids at home, however, I need a way for them to contact me in case of emergency. We got rid of our land line and use only my dh's and my cell phones, so I'm looking for a really cheap emergecy phone. I thought there were phones out there that were pay by the minute, but everything I'm seeing requires a monthly plan or a prepaid card that expires within 30 days. I know I can add them to our plan for $10/month, but was hoping for something even less than that since it really is just for emergencies. What do you all use? Any thoughts or suggestions? Maybe something through the internet? Thanks for your help, Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Dd got a $10 phone for $10 per month. She has since upgraded to a smart phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
---- Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 If you want it truly to be available for emergencies, I'd go ahead and add another phone to your plan or go with a longer term like a one year card on something along the lines of a Tracfone. It's really easy to forget to add minutes/time if a phone isn't in constant use and it really defeats the purpose if the phone isn't active when it's really needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 We use our land line for the kids at home. We also have a prepaid Verizon phone that the kids take when they are out at activities. So we have our land line, dh has his work phone, I have a dumb phone, and the kids share a prepaid dumb phone when they go to activities. ETA: Our land line is super cheap at about $11/month. We only have the most basic service. I think they actually called it the "emergency" plan. Also, when your kids are young like mine, an emergency to them is not the same as an emergency to us. It's more like, "May I watch TV" or "May I have a snack" or "I finished my math early so can I...." or "Jane's mom called and asked if I could xyz." I don't mind the interruptions as I would rather they feel comfortable calling than not. So, I would expect to receive calls while you are running errands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 You can't do much better than $10.00 month. Call it the family phone and they can use it at home or when they are somewhere and might want to contact you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenmomof3 Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share Posted February 3, 2013 You're right Pippen --Great thing to keep in mind. Do you know if there are prepaid plans for a year that are super cheap? The lowest tracfone card I saw was 400 minutes for $100. I don't think the kids will use even 30 minutes for the whole year at this point. I've even looked into Magic Jack or something like that, but can't imagine even using enough minutes to justify the $60-$70. Is there something that we can do through a 3rd gen. iphone without service (so basically like an ipod touch)? Maybe a site online or an app I could buy? I'd be fine with something that would allow them to just be able to text me and I could text them rather than having phone service if that's available. Any other thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CupOCoffee Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 I have a prepaid from T-mobile. I don't know if they offer the same deal, but if you start off with the $100 card you can carry any unused portion over the next year as long as you add at least $10 to it. We have some of the same minutes from 5 years ago. That's how little we use it. But do the math, it doesn't get cheaper than that. And the phone itself cost $20. This is what we do. You just have to keep on top of adding that $10 amount. I use my phone more than DH, but mine always alerts me when my minutes are about to be up. My minutes last me probably 6 mos. For his, he just writes the anniversary date of his minutes on the calendar, and when it gets close, he puts another ten bucks worth on. There have been times when my minutes needed to be renewed but we didn't have $$ for a few weeks, and then I just carried his phone. We are NOT big cell phone users. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 We got a cheap phone & added the $10/mo service on our plan. I like it because besides being here for a home-alone phone, I can let them take it when they have to walk somewhere alone (like when one had basketball practice at the ps and walked home after). In a couple years when they're able to babysit, I'll be glad they can take a phone in case that house doesn't have a landline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 When we added ds, we gave him an older hand me down phone and added him to our family plan. We have 3 phones and it's cheaper than 3 plans. The other thing to consider is how it will use your minutes. On our family plan we talk to each other and it doesn't use our minutes at all. That might not be an option if you have two different carriers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 If you opt for one of the plans that you have to renew periodically, if you are a gmail user, get the gmail calendar to email you when you need to renew. I LOVE this feature and use it for everything from dental appointments to "check about library books" to "clean out coffeepot with lemon juice." Gmail sends me a message on a particular day each month to do this, and it can do every three months or whatever. So much easier to remember periodic necessities this way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 You're right Pippen --Great thing to keep in mind. Do you know if there are prepaid plans for a year that are super cheap? The lowest tracfone card I saw was 400 minutes for $100. I don't think the kids will use even 30 minutes for the whole year at this point. What we found was our phone needs changed as the years went on and teens became more active outside the home. Tracfone will let you shift minutes or time to other phones on down the road. We just kept rolling over unused minutes into the next years and eventually shifted all of those to my daughter who goes through a lot of minutes. Also, I think having minutes banked up on a pay as you go phone is not a bad thing. In case of an emergency you may be glad there are more than 30 minutes on that phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I just bought a cell phone for my ds 2 days ago. I got a $30 phone from Target, and the provider is Net10. You can get a 200 minute card for $20 and it's good for 90 days. If you get this plan, make sure you get the card that is the 90 day card though and not the 30 day one. Target didn't have any, but I was able to purchase it on the website when I registered the phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 My kids both have cell phones but I found I could use my tablet with a google voice number and groveip as a backup phone too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 You can't do much better than $10.00 month. Call it the family phone and they can use it at home or when they are somewhere and might want to contact you. That's what I was going to say. Any prepaid is going to be $10 or more each month to keep it active. Might as well add another phone to the family plan. Lots of companies will give you a basic phone for free to add on, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 They need access to a phone they can call 911 with in case of a real emergency. My girls have Tracfones... at around $100 a year that is less than $9 per month... Call your local phone company and see if you can have a land line with only 911 capabilities... in some communities this is already paid for through your taxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higginszoo Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 TracFone charges $100 for a whole year's worth of service ... for $150, I got 2 years' worth of service on my emergency phone and the one I got for my middle kids. The kids' phone only cost me $10 at Family Dollar, I splurged and spent $25 on mine. It works great for keeping in contact when we're running in different directions. With the minutes doubler that came with my phone, I think that I have something like 1200 or 1500 minutes with the 2 years, which is plenty for what I use it for, and it rolls over when I renew service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenmomof3 Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 Great suggestions. Thanks! Jann, you're right -- I was just thinking today about how we should have more than texting in case of a real emergency. My dh found a way last night to text using our old iphone; I'll have to learn about google voice numbers. I didn't see where the tracfone minutes shifted or rolled over; I'll have to research that too. Looks like I have a lot more to look into. Thanks again for all the suggestions. You guys are great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abacus2 Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Assuming you have Internet at your house, what about Magic Jack or Skype ($2.99 a month unlimited to US phones)? Plug a landline phone in; you can call 911 even when not connected to regular service. ETA: If you use texting, they can use email to text you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 WE have a bundled package from Comcast, which comes with phone service, that lasts at least 8 hours in a power outage. My kids all have a cell phone too. My youngest's phone is only 13 (there are about 3 dollars of taxes, the actual plan is 10). With that she shared our minutes (700) and gets unlimited texts. SHe also gets free calls to other Verizon phones (which is what all the rest of us have). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.